Montessori Sound Baskets – (at-home)


Montessori Sound Baskets – Explained

Unless you’ve been exposed to the Montessori philosophy and teaching method, you may not have heard of or seen sound baskets.

Sound baskets are a simple, straightforward method to spark understanding of letter sounds.

Read a full description here.

The Benefits

 ✔️ Active engagement

 ✔️ Employs Reasoning

✔️ Employs Critical Thinking

✔️ Reduces screen time

      ☑️ See study on impacts of screen-time on youth development 

 ✔️ Encourages independent learning and exploration

Read More

Image No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags:

The Night Sky 2025

Moon and stars night sky 2025 image

The Night Sky – 2025 Edition

The night sky 2025  will offer many opportunities for spectacular astonomical viewing. 

The year has kicked-off with unfavorable night sky viewing conditions across much of the United States and other locations. We hope there’s rapid improvement.

Tracking the sky can be done for little or no money, and is a great way to spend time away from technology while enjoying the natural world. Excessive screen time is considered to have negative impacts on youth development.

We use a mix of websites for this post, so you can select the one(s) that best matches your taste. 

Fall 2025 | Supermoon, Meteor Shower and more.

What’s on display this fall in the night sky?

Let’s take a look.

A vibrant and visible Venus and Jupiter, the Dracnoid meteor shower early in the month, and a yellow Saturn near the full moon are just a few events kicking-off autumn.

9 night sky events to see in October from National Geographic

What’s up in the night sky: October 2025 from the Planetary Society

Watch the video from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

SUMMER 2025 – What Can You Observe?

Days are long and nights are short but there will be plenty to see during the warm months of the summer. Some events will be difficult to observe in areas with intense light pollution. 

September 2025

It’s going to be a jam-packed month of astronomical events. September will feature both a solar and total lunar eclipse, meteorshowers, and more.

Sadly, the lunar eclipse with not be visible in the Americas, but if you’ll be elsewhere you should be able to see some or all of it.

The month begins with a carryover of the Aurigids meteor shower that beging 08/28.

This time we’re directing you to the Star Walk website for a full list of events. Be aware this website encourages visitors to download theri app, but you it’s not a requirement.

You can tweak the In the Sky calendar to your preferences to have a printable list of what you can and want to witness.

August 2025

Challenge 1 – Summer TriangleAugust 1

A fishy full moon.  Sturgeon Moon  | August 8/9

Challenge 2: Perseid meteor shower  | August 12

Challenge 3 – Moon, Venus and Jupiter | August 21

More August events.

From the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

August Night Sky from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Click to watch on YouTube

July 2025

From the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Download the guide from What’s Out Tonight.

From the National Space Centre in the U.K.

June 2025

From Sky & Telescope for the first week of June 2025.

 

July & August 2025

Use this calendar to plan your viewing. We’ll update this section with video at the end of June and July.

The Night Sky 2025 Beginnings

Night Sky 2025 sample imageDepending where on your location, you may have witnessed the Northern Lights to close 2024.

Also starting at the end of 2024 and continuing into the 2025 night sky is the Quadrantis meteor shower.

More January Events

Night sky, January 2025: What you can see tonight [maps] | Space

What to Look for in February

You’re familiar with the term crescent moon, but have you heard of crescent Venus?

This requires viewing with a telescope, if you have one and weather conditions permit, venture out on February 19 to witness this event.

Other February Events

Calendar for February

What to Look for in March

There will be a total lunar eclipse starting the evening of March into March 14 (when the moon is full). Click here to download visibility map from NASA.

Later in the month there will be a partial solar eclipse.

Other events in March

We will update this post each quarter, but if you want to plan ahead use these reference links to search for occurrences for the entire year.

We will update this post each quarter, but if you want to plan ahead use these reference links to search for occurrences for the entire year.

The Night Sky – April 2025

Planet conjunctions, meteor showers and Mercury

One of the highlights for the month of April comes in the third week.

The Lyrid meteor shower will be visible April 16-25 with the peak occurring on April 22.

Happening during the same timeframe witll be the conunction of the moon and Saturn on the 24th and the moon and Mercury on the 25th.

Full calendars of April 2025 Events

In the Sky

Space Tourism Guide

May 2025 Sky Events 

Will there be a new star?

Let NASA explain:  What’s Up: May 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA

The Eta Aquariid meteors will peak on May 6, 2025.

Final Thoughts

Want to compare 2024 to 2025 night sky events? Take a look back at our year-long blog post. Keeping a journal of your observances through the years a great way to document your activities.

Check back for summer sky happenings.

Use the comments to share your viewing experiences.

Enjoy!

Image No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags:

Fascinating Connections

Fascinating Connections

Fascinating Connections Installment #1

Applying the six degrees of separation theory, odd or fascinating connections can be found everywhere.

Sometimes they’re deep and meaningful. Sometimes they’re interesting tidbits that make for good dinner or party conversation.

When we speak of education we tend to focus solely on formal education where an instructor passes on knowledge to a captive audience. All too often, the information is presented in isolation with little thought given to overlapping conditions and ripple effects.

A lot of learning occurs outside of classrooms. Sometimes I must remind parents or guardians that they were their child’s first teacher.

Let’s encourage more inquisitiveness and exploration to discover what bridges exist between seemingly separated areas.

To kick off this series, I’m starting with one from the entertainment industry.

Fascinating Connections in Entertainment

The Background

Van Johnson

Van Johnson (1916-2008) was a prolific film and television actor whose career spanned nearly five decades. He appeared onscreen with Judy Garland, Lionel Barrymore, and June Allyson to name just a few. According to IMDB, his last credit was in 1992. He was also an accomplished dancer.

Kennan WynnKeenan Wynn (1916-1986) was also a talented film and television actor, appearing in “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,” “The Twilight Zone,” and “The Last Unicorn.” Mr. Wynn was a member of a prominent acting family. His last acting credit was the year of his death.

From the 1940s through the 1950s the two actors appeared in several movies together, including “Somewhere I’ll Find You” with Clark Gable and Lana Turner.

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman book cover“The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” is a 1971 novel by Ernest J. Gaines. It chronicles the life of the titular character from her childhood during the last chapter of slavery through the dawn of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman TV movie

The novel was adapted for a 1974 made-for-television movie of the same name. It starred Cicely Tyson, whose performance many people still regard as one of the greatest – ever.

What’s the Fascinating Connection?

Mr. Johnson and Mr. Wynn were reasonably active in 1974, but neither appeared in the 1974 TV production of Miss Jane Pittman, but they are connected to it.

Do you know how?

Please put your answer in the comment section.

Which  popular Broadway musical and Hollywood movie used an opera as their storyline? See our Fun with Opera.”

Image No Comments

Categories: Fascinating Connections

UA-144474797-1